Container for frangible items

ABSTRACT

A container comprises a sheet of polymer formed into a base portion. The base portion has cavities for receiving frangible items. An intermediate cover portion has cavities for covering the frangible items. A first hinge rotates the intermediate cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive. A top cover portion has at least one concavity. A second hinge rotates the top cover portion onto the intermediate cover portion to hold the base, intermediate and the top cover portions closed together. Flanges define peripheries of the base, intermediate and top cover portions. The intermediate peripheral flange has a cut-out at each corner of the intermediate cover portion defining a cut-out edge that is non-parallel to the longitudinal edges of the base portion, and has a dimension greater than a corresponding lateral flange portion of the top peripheral flange in a longitudinal dimension of the container.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The present application relates to containers for receiving frangible objects such as eggs, and to structural components of such containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Egg containers of all kinds have been developed for the transportation and sale of eggs. As eggs are relatively fragile, the egg containers must protect the eggs from the various manipulations involved from the packaging of the eggs to the consumer's refrigerator.

One significant improvement in egg containers is the use of thermoformed plastics as material for the egg containers. Thermoformed plastics are typically transparent, which allows the eggs to be visible, and are relatively inexpensive to produce. As they can inspect the eggs by seeing through the material of the egg container, the consumers do not need to open the egg container, as is the case with cardboard egg containers, for instance. In the case of cardboard boxes, it may occur that the boxes are not closed properly after inspection. This may cause the breakage of eggs if the improperly closed egg container is subsequently manipulated by another consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a novel egg container.

Therefore, in accordance with the present application, there is provided a container for receiving frangible items comprising: a sheet of polymer formed/cut into a base portion having item receiving cavities for supporting frangible items, and a base peripheral flange defining a periphery of the base portion; an intermediate cover portion having item covering cavities for covering the frangible items in the item receiving cavities, the intermediate cover portion having an intermediate peripheral flange defining a periphery of the intermediate cover portion; a first hinge between a first longitudinal edge of the base portion and the intermediate cover portion for rotating the intermediate cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in sets of the item receiving cavities and item covering cavities; a top cover portion having at least one concavity and a top peripheral flange defining a periphery of the top cover portion; a second hinge between a second longitudinal edge of the base portion, and the top cover portion for rotating the top cover portion onto the intermediate cover portion to hold the base portion, the intermediate cover portion and the top cover portion closed together; and a cut-out in the intermediate peripheral flange at each corner of the intermediate cover portion away from the first hinge, each said cut-out defining a cut-out edge being non-parallel to the longitudinal edges and having a dimension greater than a corresponding lateral flange portion of the top peripheral flange in a longitudinal dimension of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a two-fold egg container;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a three-fold egg container;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the three-fold egg container of FIG. 2, with a closing cut-out in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the closing cut-out of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, an egg container is generally shown at 10. The egg containers described hereinafter are preferably made of transparent or translucent plastics, for instance using a thermoforming process or other molding process. Other materials and/or processes may be used as well. The containers described hereinafter may be used to contain eggs or any other frangible items (e.g., tomatoes).

The egg container 10 of FIG. 1 is a two-fold egg container, as it has two portions hinged to one another. The egg container 10 has a base portion 11 having a plurality of egg-receiving cavities 12 (e.g., six, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, or any other suitable number), with each cavity 12 supporting an egg. A top cover portion 13 is hinged to the base portion 11 by hinge 14, in a longitudinal dimension of the egg container 10. The top cover portion 13 may or may not have egg cavities to cover a top portion of the eggs supported by the egg-receiving cavities 12. Alternatively, the top cover portion 13 may present a flat top surface as in FIG. 1, with or without strengthening components (e.g., arches, posts). Although not shown, mating connectors or any other suitable type of connectors are provided on the periphery of the base portion 11 and top cover portion 13 for interlocking them when the egg container 10 is closed.

Referring to FIG. 2, a three-fold egg container is generally illustrated at 10′. The egg container 10′ is similar to the egg container 10 of FIG. 1, but has an intermediate cover portion 15. The intermediate cover portion is hinged to the base portion 11 by hinge 16, in a longitudinal dimension of the egg container 10′. The hinges 14 and 16 are preferably on opposite edges of the base portion 11. The intermediate cover portion 15 typically has egg cavities 17 to cover a top portion of the eggs supported by the egg-receiving cavities 12. Although not shown, mating connectors or any other suitable type of connectors are provided on the periphery of the top cover portion 13 and the intermediate cover portion 15 for interlocking them when the egg container 10′ is closed.

In order to close the egg container 10′, the intermediate cover portion 15 is firstly hinged into contact with the base container 12, as illustrated by arrow A. The top cover portion 13 is then hinged onto the intermediate cover portion 15, as illustrated by arrow B.

If the hinging movement along arrow B is performed before the movement along arrow A is completed, the top cover portion 13 may impede the movement of the intermediate cover portion 15. Referring to FIG. 2, outer corners 21 of the peripheral flange 20 of the intermediate cover portion 15 may get caught lateral portions of the peripheral flange 22 of the top cover portion 13.

Therefore, according to FIGS. 3 and 4, the three-fold container 10′ comprises closing cut-outs 23 in the corners 21. The cut-outs 23 may have a straight cut-out edge extending between an intersection 25 with a longitudinal edge 26 of the peripheral flange 20 and an intersection 27 with a lateral edge 28 of the peripheral flange 20. However, the intersections 25 and 27 are preferably slightly rounded, so as not to bear pointy edges. In the illustrated embodiment, the straight edge 24 is at 45 degrees of both the longitudinal edge 26 and the lateral edge 28. The angle between the straight edge 24 and the lateral edge 28 must be between 10 and 80 degrees.

An arched protrusion 29 may be provided in the corners 21 having a cut-out 23. The arched protrusion 29 extends from a main flat surface of the intermediate cover portion 15 to the planar surface of the peripheral flange 20. The arched protrusions 29 strengthen the corners 21 of the flange 20. The arched protrusion 29 may be a frustoconical segment (FIG. 4), and may be used as a bumper for stacking purposes. In such as case, the arched protrusion is a positive angle, as shown in FIG. 4.

The edge 24 may have outlines other than a straight one. The edge 24 may have more than one straight segment, or may have arcuate portions. However, as shown concurrently in FIGS. 3 and 4, the intersections 25 of the cut-outs 23 with the longitudinal edge 26 must be at a distance X from the lateral edge 28 that is at least equal to the width W of the peripheral flange 22. In this manner, if the cut-outs 23 contact the lateral flange portion of the peripheral flange 22, the peripheral flange 22 and the edge 24 will slide with respect to one another, as a result of the non-planar relation between the edge 24 and the peripheral flange 22. The inter-section 25 is inside the flange 22.

In manufacturing the egg container 10′ with the cut-outs 23, it is considered to die-cut the egg container 10′ when in an unfolded flat and open condition, thereby defining the outline of the egg container 10′. The egg container 10′ may be molded with the cut-outs 23 as an alternative.

The egg containers 10 and 10′ may have one of more of the elements described above. Although the egg containers 10 and 10′ are preferably made of a transparent thermoplastic that is molded (e.g., vacuum molded, thermoformed), it is considered to provide some of the above-referred embodiments in other materials.

The egg containers of the present disclosure may contain any suitable number of egg receiving cavities. One suitable material for the egg containers of the present application is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET has many advantages, as this material can be transparent or opaque and can be produced at high volume and at low cost. Wall thicknesses of PET cases in a contemplated embodiment are of 0.0175 inch in thickness, but other thicknesses as low as 0.014 to as high as 0.022 inch are also contemplated. 

1. A container for receiving frangible items comprising: a sheet of polymer formed/cut into: a base portion having item receiving cavities for supporting frangible items, and a base peripheral flange defining a periphery of the base portion; an intermediate cover portion having item covering cavities for covering the frangible items in the item receiving cavities, the intermediate cover portion having an intermediate peripheral flange defining a periphery of the intermediate cover portion; a first hinge between a first longitudinal edge of the base portion and the intermediate cover portion for rotating the intermediate cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in sets of the item receiving cavities and item covering cavities; a top cover portion having at least one concavity and a top peripheral flange defining a periphery of the top cover portion; a second hinge between a second longitudinal edge of the base portion, and the top cover portion for rotating the top cover portion onto the intermediate cover portion to hold the base portion, the intermediate cover portion and the top cover portion closed together; a cut-out in the intermediate peripheral flange at each corner of the intermediate cover portion away from the first hinge, each said cut-out defining a cut-out edge being non-parallel to the longitudinal edges and having a dimension greater than a corresponding lateral flange portion of the top peripheral flange in a longitudinal dimension of the container; and strengthening protrusions in each said corner, inward of the intermediate peripheral flange and adjacent to a respective cut-out.
 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the cut-out edges are straight edges.
 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the cut-out edges are at an angle ranging between 10 degrees and 80 degrees from the respective lateral edges of the intermediate peripheral flanges.
 4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the cut-out edges are at an angle of 45 degrees from the respective lateral edges of the intermediate peripheral flanges.
 5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the intersections of the cutout edges with a remainder of the intermediate peripheral flange are rounded.
 6. (canceled)
 7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the sheet of polymer is die-cut to define the cut-outs.
 8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the frangible items are eggs, and each of the sets of egg receiving cavities and egg covering cavities receives one egg.
 9. The container according to claim 1, wherein the strengthening protrusions are arched protrusions. 